One Summer Ice Cream, Five Ways

Friday

Aug 15, 2014 at 6:44 PM

Learn to make one fantastic vanilla ice cream recipe and then flip it four summery ways.

We're halfway through summer, and it's high time for some homemade ice cream flavors that celebrate all things wonderful about the season. Namely, fresh peaches, blackberries, dark cherries, mint and local honey.

Since Amber Wilson of For the Love of the South is a pro when it comes to summer flavors (just get a load of her 4 Summer Fruit Lemonades she developed for us last month), we put her to work on four pretty ice cream recipes that play up summer's bounty.

The best part about her recipes? They are all derived from one vanilla ice cream base, detailed below. Meaning once you get the simple, yet heavenly, vanilla down pat, all you need to do is adjust seasonal mix-ins. Also, if you're new to the ice cream game, these are great recipes to start with, because they forgo that pesky egg-custard base.

[caption id="attachment_331670" align="aligncenter" width="493"] All photography by Amber Wilson[/caption]
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
2 cups whole milk
2 cups granulated sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 vanilla bean pod, deseeded
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and sugar. Stir occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves and tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Take off the heat, and add the salt and vanilla seeds along with the vanilla pod to the milk and sugar mixture. Allow to steep and cool for at least 10 minutes.
Whisk in the heavy whipping cream and discard the vanilla bean pod. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours until completely chilled, at least 2 hours.
Transfer the base to an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a container and let ice cream set completely for at least 2 more hours. Makes 1 ˝ Quarts.
Peach and Basil Ice Cream
Once the vanilla bean ice cream mixture has started to thicken in the ice cream machine, as detailed in step 3 of the base recipe, add 1/2 cup of chopped peaches and 1/2 cup of hand-torn basil. Once the machine has finished, scoop the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Blackberry and Local Honey Ice Cream
Once the vanilla bean ice cream mixture has started to thicken in the ice cream machine, as detailed in step 3 of the base recipe, add 1/2 cup of blackberries and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of local honey. Once the machine has finished, scoop the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Dark Cherry and Amaretto Ice Cream
Once the vanilla bean ice cream mixture has started to thicken in the ice cream machine, as detailed in step 3 of the base recipe, add 1/2 cup of dark cherries, pitted and quartered, and 1 teaspoon of amaretto. Once the machine has finished, scoop the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Backyard Mint Ice Cream
Once the vanilla bean ice cream mixture has started to thicken in the ice cream machine, as detailed in step 3 of the base recipe, add 1/2 cup hand-torn mint. Once the machine has finished, scoop the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
For more ice cream we love...
This article originally appeared as on Relish